much worse. the fire department got a call at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon saying the person who lives here found a cache of chemicals in the basement that had apparently been there for more than 30 years, materials like acid and ether. emergency workers notified 500 households in the area to shelter in place as they surrounded the chemicals with sand and blew them up. >> it was significant. we had boarded up the windows trying to stop some of the windows. it damaged all the windows in front of her home. >> reporter: the all clear was given to the neighborhood at about 9 p.m. after a very loud explosion here. and just a reminder, if you find anything out of place, something that looks to be leaking or smells weird, call emergency officials. don't take any chances on that. keep fire and anything electrical away from it. right now, live in san mateo, anne makovec, cbs 5. >> thank you. investigators in cupertino are trying to figure out who

opened fire on a marine recruiter's car on a busy freeway. he was headed southbound on 85 yesterday when he was shot at several times. the government-issued pontiac was riddled with bullets on the driver's side. some of the slugs traveled through the car traveled through the window breaking windows. officers believe it's random. >> we believe it doesn't appear to be targeted because the marine corps officer had a cover jacket on so he was in uniform but he had a cover jacket on. his uniform wasn't visible at least, you know, easily accessible or visible from somebody on the outside. >> investigators shut down the freeway for two hours. at one point they walked in tight formation across the lanes looking for evidence. csi techs will now try to calculate the trajectory of the bullets that were recovered. the push for new gun control legislation has intensified this after a shooting attack on sandy hook elementary school that left 20 students and six adults dead.

vice president joe biden will meet with law enforcement officers from across the country today. he is leading a new task force charged with finding ways to reduce gun violence. funeral services for five more victims are being held today. cbs reporter marlie hall joins us with a new call for action. >> reporter: connecticut senator richard bloomenthal and senator-elect chris murphy met wednesday with a group called newtown united. residents who came together after the shooting to push for a ban on assault weapons. >> good morning, everybody. >> reporter: they may have a new supporter in president obama. he wants new laws to try to prevent another tragedy like the one at sandy hook elementary. >> the fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence. >> reporter: as head of the president's task force, vice president joe biden will look into banning assault weapons. but gun advocates say that's not necessary. >> there are lots of things we can do to make sure that only

the right people have firearms. >> reporter: there will be at least nine more funerals or viewings today. on wednesday each of the victims was remembered in his own special way. [ singing ] >> reporter: paul simon sang at the funeral for 27-year-old teacher victoria soto. she died trying to protect her first grade students. >> she gave her life for those kids. >> reporter: 7-year-old daniel barden wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. so firemen from across the region said good-bye to him as though he were one of their own. caroline previdi like to draw and dance. principal dawn hochsprung was a mother of two but all the students were her kids. marlie hall, newtown, connecticut. >> tonight cbs 5 and kcbs radio will hold a candlelight vigil and toy drive for newtown starting at 5 p.m. at the holiday ice rink at

embarcadero center in san francisco. we are taking donations of unwrapped teddy bears or toys to honor the memory of the newtown students and teachers. all toys will go to kids in need in the bay area. more details on our website, cbssf.com/newtown. two popular pop tunes have been pulled off the air in the wake of the school shootings. some radio stations dropped foster the people's pumped up kicks from their playlist. the lyrics tell the story of a boy planning a violent campus shooting. other stations are dropping keisha's die young. kesha said the song is inappropriate. >> what do you think about radio stations pulling the songs? you can comment on facebook or twitter, or email us at mornings@cbs5.com. it is 4:35 right now. someone's back in the studio today. >> he is. he looks a lot like lawrence

karnow. >> another cold start to the morning outside but we have major changes coming in our direction in the form of a cold front. look at that. this one's pretty impressive just beginning to slowly work its way into the far northern portions of the state. that will bring with it more clouds throughout the day today and eventually some rain headed in our direction. right now it is mostly clear and again cold in spots although not quite as cold as yesterday. still 29 degrees. that's cold enough, in concord. 32 degrees and freezing in livermore. 38 in san jose and 37 degrees right in san francisco. by the afternoon, those clouds will be rolling in. the temperatures are going to stay fairly cool mainly in the mid- to upper 50s outside. but a pretty vigorous storm headed our way. we are going to see strong gusty winds tonight. and even some heavier amounts of rainfall. we'll have more on that coming up as we'll see the whole pattern open up but first traffic with elizabeth. >> we are going to enjoy this dry commute while we have it and we have one accident out

there that's blocking lanes. it's coming up northbound 880 approaching stevenson. there are various lanes blocked. once you get past those fremont exits, then everything actually looks good all the way up towards oakland and the macarthur maze. to the south bay we go now and all of our live drive time sensors pretty much showing speeds moving at the limit including up the guadalupe parkway and throughout downtown. looks like they are out there doing lane changes across the golden gate bridge so heads up if you are commuting northbound or southbound 101. they should be opening more southbound lanes in the commute direction here any minute. westbound 580 free and clear not a single brake light right now on that westbound 580 ride from the altamont pass to the dublin interchange. should be about a 14 or 15- minute commute in those westbound lanes of 580 and bart off to a great start. all mass transit on time. that's traffic, back to you guys. >> thank you. a woman was shot and killed in east oakland by a stray bullet. witnesses say they heard about 5 shots on international

boulevard shortly before 7:00 last night. investigators say the victim was not the intended target of the shooter. but no arrests have been made. more bay area headlines. the oakland economy inn wants to reopen early. a court order shut the motel down until august due to prostitution. now the owner is offering an out-of-state management company to oversee it plus one room dedicated as a police substation. neighbors say they want the motel to stay closed. and big layoffs looming for city college of san francisco unless administrators can shore up finances. trustees are looking to slash 34 full-time and 20 to 30 part- time positions starting next month. paycuts are expected, as well. the community college also needs 3,000 more students to register for the spring semester. the search is on for a third suspect in the abduction of a handyman in morgan hill. investigators say richard rodriguez, jr., of alameda along with two others lured the victim to a mansion earlier

this month. the handyman was held hostage, beaten and forced to make repairs. the suspects then tried to take the victim to their mother's house for more repairs. the manscaped at a gas station. the two other suspects are already in custody. who will pay for the pipeline upgrades for pg&e could be decided today. the california public utilities commission is expected to vote on a $2.2 billion safety improvement plan. pg&e wants ratepayers to pay for 90% of the costs. a judge, however, recommended customers only pay 55%. it's now up to the puc on how the tab will be split. chevron's choice of metal meets fire standards according to a consulting engineer from the city. the report did not endorse the use of 9 chrome. a light fire started at a

washington refinery earlier this year after a corrosion weakened 9 chrome lines after that sprang a leak. live in san jose, people are lining up for a big toy and book giveaway. sacred heart community services will hand out gifts to more than 5,000 children starting at 10 a.m. sacred heart has checked over 17,000 toys and -- collected over 17,000 toys and books through donations. 4:40. an emergency panic button. >> how a new watch could save your child's life for they're in trouble. plus... >> i love you. >> shot by his best friend, why the victim says he forgives him. >> and a travel nightmare. the blinding white-out conditions stranding holiday flyers worldwide. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

♪ secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke. your health and the health of your family depend on it. has issued a blizzard warni for much of the midwest. in colorado, interstate 70 was closed for 156- miles due to high winds and reduced the national weather service has issued a blizzard

warning for much university midwest and you're looking at why. at colorado, interstate 70 was closed for 156 miles because of high winds and reduced visibility. forecasters say wisconsin could bear the brunt of the storm. the groove there has already declared a state of emergency. >> we did this in february of 2012 where we didn't have enough people positioned. storm crews, county truck roads and the department of transportation, snowballs and snowmobiles, we'll be prepared. >> expect hazardous conditions through today and into early tomorrow in the area. most airlines are giving holiday travelers a break rebooking. with blizzards expected to hit several hubs in the next 72 hours you're look at live pictures of kansas city, missouri. airports in chicago and cleveland are also expecting problems. if you are flying call the airline to see if you can

rebook without paying a penalty. yesterday we were saying that it's so cold and it's chilly outside. we had a little frost on our windshield but then you look at these. >> you know what, a lot of people want to go to the mountains at this time of year to enjoy the snow. we are going to get hit by a good series of storms. they may see 5, 6 feet of snow up there over the next few days. so if you want to escape to the high country this is probably the day to do it before that storm moves in. you can see it already bearing down on the northern part of the state. it's going to be a slow mover. we'll see a few high clouds across the skies as we head throughout the day today but it will take a while before we see that rain moving in. still, if you are heading out the door it should be a mostly dry day. not quite as cold although still chilly enough. some of the temperatures dropping down to the upper 20s. increasing clouds though throughout the day. some showers developing to the north, especially into the evening hours. then rain intensifying overnight and it will be on and off right on in through the weekend. mostly clear out over the bay looking good so far. quiet to begin with but things will be different toward

tomorrow. right now it's 29 degrees and chilly in concord. 43 degrees in oakland. livermore checking in at freezing at 32. even 37 degrees in san francisco. here's the cold front in the gulf of alaska. you can see it making its way into northern california. behind that a series of storms will line up and the whole pattern is about to open up again. traveling not bad. you will see 50s into the valley. high country should be dry about 38 degrees in lake tahoe. 44 degrees in yosemite. winter storm warnings going up there though tonight as we're expecting a pretty fair storm as to to head in. a slow-moving storm system, this may be a little bit quick here as it tries to move the rain in toward the afternoon but you get the idea tomorrow morning, that whole cold front lingers over the bay area. so we're looking at some pretty good rainfall and some strong gusty winds, maybe gusting to over 50 miles an hour out near

the coastline and over the mountaintops. temperatures for today not bad. 57 degrees in san jose. it should be dry. 58 in mountain view. 56 in hayward. east bay numbers up into the 50s and you will see those 50s inside the bay. so look out over the next couple of days today probably the last real dry day although some showers could develop in the afternoon. rain expected on friday. more rain on saturday. more showers continuing on sunday. wow! the only dry day maybe in the next 7 probably christmas. how about that! >> i know. look at that when no one is commuting. right? [ laughter ] >> but we'll still be here to provide you traffic information, you can guarantee that. let's go outside live right now towards the bay bridge toll plaza and so far, so good as you can see. very quiet right now heading into san francisco. in fact, we just checked in with caltrans, pretty much just overnight roadwork out there including from the incline out towards the skyway. you will find various lanes blocked. san mateo bridge actually no roadwork either direction of 92. taillights moving westbound towards the high-rise towards foster city. that drive time out of hayward

14 minutes right now. elsewhere to our other maps and live traffic cameras. there is an accident northbound 880 approaching stevenson. that is in the clearing stages. otherwise if you are heading up towards oakland no delay at all through the macarthur maze. our live drive time sensors still in the clear. you can see it looks like they wrapped up some of those lane changes across the golden gate bridge. the truck has left the scene anyway. now, headlights heading southbound looks good towards doyle drive. that is traffic. back to you guys. >> thank you. new this morning, russian president vladimir putin says changes in syria are needed but he is worried about the fact to unseat bashar assad regime's could lead to more violence in the country. he advocates a solution to prevent the collapse of syria and what he says is an endless civil war. the blame game over the "fiscal cliff" continues on capitol hill. speaker of the house john

boehner is pushing ahead with his plan b. the house will vote today on the gop bill that cuts taxes for everyone who makes less than a million dollars a year. democrats say the bill is not balanced and already promises to defeat it into senate. the president says republicans should accept a deal he has offered. >> at some point there's got to be i think a recognition on the part of my republican friends that take the deal. >> hope the president will get serious soon about providing and working with us on a balanced approach. >> the president's latest offer provides $850 billion in spending cuts over 10 years while raising $1.3 trillion in revenue. mostly by raising taxes on incomes over $400,000 a year. secretary of state hillary clinton is expected to testify before congress next month about september's deadly

consulate attack in benghazi, libya. she had to reschedule her testimony after she suffered a stomach virus and a concussion. two deputy secretaries of state will testify on capitol hill today. in economic news a lot of numbers coming out this morning. first a report on the housing market is expected as the government releases its weekly numbers. construction of new homes is down slightly, but analysts think that housing is on the rebounded. a survey found that the confidence of homebuilders in the market is at its highest level in six years. the latest unemployment figures are also due out today. two of toyota's top selling cars are among the worst performers in the latest crash tests. the institute for insurance -- the insurance institute for highway safety gave the 2012 prius and camry poor ratings. but toyota is on track to overtake gm as the world's largest automaker. the camry is the year's number one selling family sedan in america. honda accord was among cars

that did do well in the safety test. google is selling part of its motorola holdings after acquiring it 7 months ago. the cash and stock deal was announced late yesterday. google is selling motorola mobility's tv set-top division for more than $2 billion to ares group, inc. google paid more than $12 billion for its motorola holdings. state officials have rejected a $30 million deal between the 49ers and the south bay schools. two years ago, you will remember that santa clara voters decided to earmark redevelopment tax funds for the new stadium. but the funds were eliminated by the state and the money was given to schools instead. the 9ers and the schools eventually decided to split the funds. but now a judge will rule on who gets the money. oakland is keeping the extra cash from overpaid parking tickets. that's according to a new report from the city auditor.

last year the city made $316,000 just on overpayments. state law requires cities to reimburse people who pay their parking tickets twice by mistake. a vallejo teen shot by a life-long friend wants him to know he is forgiven. 18-year-old cody hassler says his grand sammy turner is battling mental illness. three weeks ago they got into an argument. that's when turner a hunter shot hasser will in the back, then turner found himself in a standoff with police. hassler reached out to his friend right after his surgery. >> cody, i love you, bro. i forgive you, bro. i love you. everything is going to be okay. >> turner eventually turned himself in. hassler has not talked to his friend since the shooting but says he is willing to go before a judge and ask for leniency. new technology is out aimed

at keeping kids safe. it's a leo wristwatch. it's a cell phone combined with a gps tracking device. dick tracy had one of those i think back in the '30s. the developers say the watch can be used in distress to call 911 with just one button. marc klaas his daughter kidnapped in 1993 and subsequently murdered says the watch has a lot of great safety features. >> it's got battery packs throughout the titanium band so it has enhanced batteries so it can send a bread crumb every minute for a whole day. this is the closest thing to a holy grail for safety devices for children we'll see. >> it sells for $150. doomsday debunked. how nasa says it can prove the world is not going to end in two days. >> really? >> yeah. plus, too much holiday cheer the neighbor feud over christmas lights. >> and the griswolds had

nothing on this. what's wrong with this christmas tree? ,, this holiday, share everything.

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share "you owe me..." share "just right." the share everything plan. shareable data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. hurry in for a droid razr m by motorola for $49.99. it is quiet so far a little cold out there, too. but look what's coming our way. we have a storm brewing. we'll tell you when we expect that to hit coming up. >> and our accident in fremont just cleared. so now we have no big hot spots across the bay area. here's a live look at three of your traffic cameras. the golden gate bridge, the bay bridge, dublin interchange all moving at the limit. nasa promises the sun will rise on saturday. >> the space agency has been debunking doomsday rumors for weeks. it's been getting hundreds of

calls a day. some think the world with end on friday. no such luck. the mayan calendar stops on that day. others believe that a rogue planet or massive meteor is on the way to destroy us. we look for that stuff these days. we would know it years in advance. scientists say busting that mystery is as easy as looking out the window. >> one doomsday rumor has a planet, a rogue planet, planet x, coming into the solar system and crashing into earth. this is silly. if there were such an object, it would be seen in the sky. >> as for solar flares, in solar cycle is about the wimpiest cycle in half a century. >> so get to shopping. i know a lot of people probably held it off just in case. >> it's another week. >> are you kidding? >> true. 65,000 christmas lights put

on a spectacular display at a southern california home. >> it's so cool! >> it's amazing. >> it's incredible the owner of the home says it's a tribute to her late husband who died of cancer this year. the light show attracted hundreds of spectators every night but not everybody is happy about it. some neighbors complain the display is a too bright, too loud and it attracts too much traffic to their quiet street. >> it's not that we're opposed to christmas but this is just too much! >> you can see the argument. some complained to the city council. the homeowners has received only a noise violation ticket. christmas trees normally go in living rooms or the house. this one goes through the roof! literally. it's an optical illusion. the family cut the 14-foot tree into two parts. the bigger half is in-house. the smaller half is on the roof. but the family did bolt the prop to the roof so the wind wouldn't blow it off. >> that is clever. >> pretty cool. >> i love that.

>> never seen anything quite like that. >> awesome. 4:57. enough is enough. the president outlines his plan to tackle violence. >> plus the drastic move by a local community college and what's needed from students. >> after some very volatile chemicals are found, a neighborhood is told to shelter in place. crisis averted but we'll show you the damage that's been done. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald the hazmat team moves into a quiet neighborhood on the peninsula. coming up what they found. >> a powerful storm slams the midwest. how it's stalling holiday travelers nationwide. >> we are about to get slammed by a winter storm but right now it's pretty cold outside. we'll talk about that coming up. >> just finished lane changes across the golden gate bridge. comip